Art of foresting and dyeing standing living trees



sept. 1o, 1929. H. RIENNER 1,727,939

ART OF FORESTIG AND DYEING STANDING LIVING TREES Filed March '7, 1924 if A Y; w

35% thrown? Patented Sept. 10, 1929.

UNITED STATES HERBERT RENNER, or, ri-IILADELrHIA,

PENNSYLVANIA, AssIGNon, BY iv'rEsNn ASSIGNMENTS, TO CHEMICOLOR WOOD PRESERVING CO., CORPORATION`OF DELA- WARE.

ART OF FORESTING A NI) DYEIN'G` STANDING- LIVING TREES.

Application/filed March 7, 1924. Serial No.' 697,652."`

My invention relates to cutting standing timber' and dyeing the same before it is felled that is,ibefore its cellular structure is distorted by drying and seasoning. ,Wood is capable of taking certain dyes when'they are applied in a definite way provided the wood contains substantially its fullk complement of moisture. l f

To enable the lumberman to practice my invention reference will be made to the drawings accompanying this application in which:

Figure 1 is aside'elevation of stumpage illustrating one form of the invention."

Figure2 is a horizontal section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is ahorizontal section on line'3 3 of Fig. 1, and showing in addition a' saw blade inserted therethrough having teeth upon both edges.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of another tree or stumpage showing a modified form of carrying out my improvements.

Figure 5 is a horizontal section of Fig. 4 on line 5 5.`

Figure 6 is another horizontal section taken on the line 6 6 of Figure 4.

Figure 7 is still another form of my invention, and shows a side elevation of a stumpage or basevsimilar to Figs. 1 and 4.

Figure 8 is a horizontal section taken on line 8 8 of Fig. 7.

Figure 9 is a second cross section of Fig. 7 taken on line 9 9 thereof; and

Figure 10 is a third cross section taken on line 10 10 of Fig. 7.

Certain borings and cuttings or sawings hereinafter referred to are made in the living standing tree by making suitable incisions transversely of its base, and feeding the dye thereto as it becomes absorbed by the cellular tissue and carried therein through the water content; after the manner set forth in my prior Patents No. 1,570,575, dated J anuary 19, 1926; and No. 1,683,488, dated September 4, 1928.

Referring specifically to the drawings which represent a `number of preferred ways in which my invention may be carrier out, the numeral 1 (Fig. 1) represents a substantially horizontal hole bored through the base 1 of a standing living tree.

It should be parenthetically stated that all of the following operations should be rcarried out as near the roots of the tree vas possible in order to save stumpage. f j

Preferably` a double edged saw blade,`such as 11, (see Fig.y 3) is inserted in the hole 1 (Figs. 1 and 2) at the section 2 2 andreciprocated'and oscillated, by a sortof compound movement, the oscillating motion pivoting substantially about the transverse rcenter of the tree, say in the direction ofthe arrow 12, Figure 2, until something like two opposite quadrant-shaped sawkerfs 13 and 14 are cut, as clearly shown inFigures 1 and 2, `section line 2 2.

. 15, 16, represent the remaining oppositely disposed uncutv quadrants interposed between thesaw kerfs 12 and 13 on thesame horizontal section2 2; i

Another hole 17 is then bored, transversely to the hole 1, horizontally through the ycentral part of the tree/on the line 3 3, but in a plane above or below the plane 2 2, (the drawing `shows it below); The saw 'blade 11 is insertedin hole 17 (see Fig. 3) and manipulated similarly to the sawing operation described in connection with plane sec# tion-2 2,y as shown by the arrow 18 on Figure 3, where the opposite quadrant saw lerfs 19 'and 2O `are shown alternating with the uncut quadrants 21 and 22 ontlie same plane 3 3 (shown also in Figure 1); The saw 11 was first inserted in hole 17 and; is shown in Figure 3 at the end of its cutting operation after having ybeen reciprocated and oscillated substantially through an arc of 90 degrees in cutting the quadrant kerfs 19 and 20.

At this stage of the operation it will be noted that all the' sap ducts of the living tree have been intercepted and broken across the entire'diameter1 of the tree and that no sap can now flow up through the tree roots to the bole ofthe tree or its branches or leaves.

At this stage the tree still stands in spite of the factthat the quadrantkerfs' have been Cut at two different horizontal planes 2 2 and 3 3 leaving betweenk them about 'the center of the ytree an uncut vertical woody i each section `2-2 and 3-3 or a hole may be lso bored through the tree to communicate with both sections, (such for'example as the yinclined boring or passage 24 shown in full and dotted lines in Fig. 4). In thellatter case only one tube kconnection with the dye tank is needed.

The tree is then left to the action ofthe natural phenomena ofvtree growth. The circulatory sap system, deprived of its sap supply carries the liquid dye into its cellular structure under theinfluence of light, air and temperature, clear to and through the leaves,- i

the lungs of the tree.

The tree is then left for a brief time, depending uponweather conditions, when the entire tree,-V-bole, .branches and leaves-will be dyed throughout, through and through.

A After which the rather attenuated hitherto untouched wood in the region of thetree at 23 is severed andthe tree felled and logged in the same manner as forests are at present lumbered. If desired the tree may be allowed to season standing, in'which case of course, the saw kerfs Vand holes are untamped and the dye tank connection removed.

Figures 4, 5 and 6, represent aimodified plan based upon the same principle as the previous figures. n K

25 is a hole horizontally boredlatone side of the center of the tree through which the ordinary saw blade with teeth on edge may be inserted and a kerf 26 cut toward and past the tree center to a point, say 27, all on the line 5-5 in Figure 4. At the section line 64-6 (Fig. 4) another horizontal hole 28 vat right angles to hole 25 (Figs. 4 and 6) is bored andr at one side of the tree. Thev saw cuts from this hole, a horizontal kerf 29, toward and past the center of the tree toa point or edge 30, the level of the kerf 29 being below that of 26. V

This operation has the effect of severing practically all of the sap ducts, except four small segments K substantially equidistant about the circumference of the tree. The kerfsr26, 29 are connected by -a boring or passage`24. i

8-8; the hole 32 on the line 9--9; and the hole 33 on the line lO-lO. Kerfs 34, 35 and 36, are cut from the holes respectively at different levels or planes. These kerfs 34, 35 and 36, are made across-the tree in differing directions, and to an equal radial extent relative to the center of the tree; so that, like the other examples, such combined kerfs practically sever all the sap ducts of the bole. Borings similar to 24, Figure 4, connect Vall the kerfs 34, 35 and 36. The dyeing and marketing conditions are the sameaspreviously described.

. Other specific illustrations of the principles of the invention might be given, but these` will suflice.

' The term horizontal here used comprises such colorable variations from a true horizontal as come within' the 'spirit of this invention."

The Y method ofy dyeing a standing tree which comprises boring holes thereacross at different levels andV sawing horizontal kerfs from said holes in opposed directions so that the combined area of the kerfs covers substantially all the sap ducts of the tree,l boring an inclined passage through the tree to afthe combined area of the kerfs covers subdifferent levels, and introducing dye into the kerfs to be carried up throughthe sap ducts by the natural circulation of the tree.

i HERBERT RENNER.

Thereafter the, process of dyeing and fell-` Y ingthe tree proceeds along the lines described in Vconnection with Figs. l, 2 and 3. Y V,The method illust-rated by ,Figures 7 8, 9 and 10, is a Vfurther modification.V v'

Here a 'hole 3l isrbored on the' sect-ion line 

